Plane carrying father, child crashes on lake

A not-so-typical day of father-daughter bonding ended in a near miss this past Sunday afternoon when the aircraft carrying pilot Troy Minske, 44, of Zimmerman, and his 11-year-old daughter flipped and crashed in deep snow along Mille Lacs Lake.

According to a release from Sheriff Brent Lindgren, dispatch received a 911 call from a witness reporting an aircraft accident near Lyback’s Resort located in South Harbor Township. Mille Lacs County deputies responded to the scene and began basic medical treatment until paramedics arrived.

Minske told police he was performing “touch and goes” on a plowed ice road on the lake when during one dip a wheel of the aircraft hit a bump and launched the plane into the air. The aircraft veered off course and touched down in the deep snow, causing the plane to flip forward and land on its roof.

Both occupants were treated and released on the scene by Mille Lacs Ambulance Service.

The crash is being investigated by the Mille Lacs County Sheriff’s Office, the Federal Aviation and the National Transportation Safety Board.